There’s a chance the AFC West could have greatest collection of QBs in NFL history
The Chiefs have ruled the AFC West since 2016, winning the division title for five straight years.
This past season, the Chiefs won the West by six games over the second-place Las Vegas Raiders. In 2019, the Chiefs had a five-game margin over the runner-up Denver Broncos and the Raiders.
With Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have a clear edge at quarterback. But there is a chance the AFC West soon could be home to four elite players at that position, because two stars appear ready to move to a new franchise.
Here’s how each AFC West team could end up with an elite quarterback.
L.A. Chargers
The Chargers’ Justin Herbert won the offensive rookie of the year award at the NFL Honors show this month. Herbert thrived after being thrown into the fire when starter Tyrod Taylor required hospitalization shortly before kickoff of Los Angeles’ second game of the season.
The NFL noted Herbert’s 31 touchdown passes and 289.1 passing yards per game set rookie records, and he had the fourth-highest rookie passer rating in the league’s history at 98.3.
“He looks like he’s going to be in a division with Patrick Mahomes with those two dueling it out and he’s having similar success to what Mahomes did in his first season as a full-time starter with the Chiefs. ... Justin Herbert is a shining star in this league,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in November.
Raiders
The big story in the NFL the past several days has been quarterback Russell Wilson’s falling-out with the Seahawks.
Wilson’s agent told ESPN his client has not requested a trade, but ... if that happens, Wilson has a short list of teams he wants to join. They are the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints or Raiders, ESPN said.
At least one oddsmaker gives the Raiders the inside track to land Wilson.
Wilson has been selected for the Pro Bowl in seven of his nine seasons in the NFL, has appeared in two Super Bowls and helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII. Per Pro Football Reference, Wilson has led 31 game-winning drives in his career and Seattle has made the postseason each year except one with Wilson starting.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin projected the impact of a trade that would send Wilson to Las Vegas for Derek Carr and two first-round picks.
“Vegas still nets a major QB upgrade by replacing Carr with Wilson, who has a huge fan in (head coach Jon) Gruden,” Benjamin writes, “and would instantly boost the Raiders’ status as contenders in the AFC West.”
Broncos
The Deshaun Watson saga is far from over in Houston. Although Watson seeks a trade from the Texans, the team is intent on keeping him.
But ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Thursday that “Watson met with new Texans head coach David Culley last Friday. In that meeting Watson reiterated that he wants to be traded and told Culley he has no intention of playing for the Texans again. No change from Watson’s end. He remains dug in.”
NBC Sports’ Peter King looked at potential trade partners for the Texans, and while the Broncos aren’t at the top of the list, King did mention them.
“Denver does have the ninth pick plus some good young pieces (Garett Bolles?) to offer, and a quarterback with minimal value in Drew Lock, so don’t count new GM George Paton out,” King wrote.
Oddsmakers list the Broncos as having the best chance to acquire Watson, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post believes if the Texans were open to the trade, Denver would have a shot.
“The Broncos should be able to put together a package to attract the Texans and have some young players who could interest Watson, who must approve any trade,” O’Halloran wrote.
Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson wrote about the impact Watson would have on Denver.
“Adding Watson to a roster like Denver’s would immediately make them a threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West,” Monson wrote, “and set up one of the best showdowns in football twice a season, at least for the foreseeable future.“
Obviously, a lot has to happen, but imagine the AFC West quarterbacks being Mahomes, Watson, Wilson and Herbert. That would be the best quarterback grouping in NFL history.
That would make life difficult for the Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo and the rest of the division’s defensive coordinators. But it would make the AFC West games must-see TV.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 9:12 AM.
